The current invention is a tubular light device with an inner tube member that can protect twisted EL elements from any damage.
More particularly, the present invention involves applications of the tubular light devices disclosed in the co-pending parent patent applications in which panel-type EL elements are twisted and situated within an elongated geometric tube-like protective member, in which conductive members are provided to not only carry electric signals for the lighting element but also to carry electric signals to and/or from device(s) with which the lighting element is associated. The inner tubular members protect the plurality of conductive elements by providing a cushioning effect that protects both the EL elements and conductive members from damage caused by bending, and also allows the tubular lighting element to deliver appropriate electric signals between ends of the element, i.e., to devices other than the lighting element itself. The devices may be selected from the group consisting of video devices, communication devices, radio, MP3, cellular telephones, walkie talkies, extension cords, evacuation lighting, and incoming phone call display devices.
The current invention thus involves a combination of twisted EL panel light elements within a protective means such as tube, and a plurality of conductive elements arranged in a way that allows the inner member of the tubular lighting element not only to provide EL light signal(s) but also to deliver electric signal(s) to and from other devices, for example to deliver cellular phone ear-phone signals from the phone to the ear-piece.
The current invention may further incorporate a trigger means which may selected from the group consisting of sensors that detect signal(s), vibration, motion, light, brightness, humidity, water, heat, shaking, sound, and/or chemicals which can allow the circuit to turn on and turn off based on pre-designed function(s) and duration times so as to allow the light to have special effects based on the features of said device(s).
For example, the current tubular EL light may include motion sensors to provide stairs illumination. The tubular EL light may be installed in stairs areas along the steps so that the lighting elements will turn on when people walk near by the tubular EL light for people to see the each step without falling down.
This is a very good safety feature for normal house application, and is also good for evacuation purposes in case of emergencies in a building, house, or office.
The current invention also can be incorporated into a cellular phone device, walkie talkie, or CD player to enable the existing electric wire to provide more features such as an incoming phone call display. In the example of a cellular phone with incoming phone call display, the tubular EL light kits will be triggered by the incoming phone call electric signal(s) and turn on for illumination of the whole wire, which may be worn around a part of the human body, such as the neck or shoulder, or the wire may be strung around bags or another location. It will help people to know the phone is ringing in a noisy environment or to assist persons who are hear of hearing and so improve the quality of life of such people without any problem. Furthermore, for the ear phone of audio devices such as MP3 or CD players, or radios, the tubular EL light can be arranged on the wires so as to allow the tubular EL light to be triggered by music, resulting in pulses the can make different light shows to provide young people with a good music environment with sound and light functions.
Also,
                (1) The EL element can have different colors for different light taste.        (2) The EL element(s) may be installed on an inner tube which can deliver the electric signals.        (3) The inner tube can be a non-elastic member for protecting the EL elements.        (4) The inner tube can include electric wires, conductive means, or FPC to deliver signals.        (5) The inner tube can be any size, thickness, diameter, shape, or material, as desired.        (6) The EL element can have different colors to indicate location, length, width for different light effects.        (7) The conductive means of the inner tube can serve as a bus means to allow signal delivery to multiple elements for a desired length.        (8) The incorporated bus means can include means to connect multiple elements to the bus means.        (9) The EL elements can overcome the EL panel's limitation for Minimum Bending Radius by using a super thin substrate of PET material and a laminated layer to reduce peel off strength.        (10) The EL elements have a rivet terminal, which is considered to be incorporated with the tubular EL so that it can easily be passed though the outside tube means to allow easy installation during assembly of products.        (11) The EL elements have inner conductive means which offer less resistance to deliver electricity having a certain voltage and frequency so as to provide even brightness and color along the extremely long length of the tubular light means.        (12) The EL elements have BOLT silver paste, or conductive means, at the most easily damaged areas so as to allow the EL panel(s) to be twisted into a very tiny bending radius without damaging the EL material, including the ITO phosphor, isolating, and dielectric layers.        (13) The EL elements may further incorporate waterproofing using a most simple method at lower cost by isolating the common electrode from other EL electrodes connected with signal ends to enable some light performance.        (14) The EL elements have at least one inner tube by at least one conductive wire/device to hook the EL material, electrode material, conductive means, phosphor, and silver paste.        (15) The EL elements may apply etching techniques to remove all EL material and only have conductive means such as a silver paste coating so as to prevent short circuits caused by water, humidity, etc.        (16) The EL elements can be connected with signal ends over a large distance even when using the standard terminal stamping procedure.        
Tubular shape Electroluminescent (EL) light devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,355 Voskoboinik et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,381 Feldman et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,594 Hay, but the tubular devices disclosed in these references have a number of limitations, including the disadvantages that they are too expensive and too slow to produce, too limited in brightness, too difficult to apply etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,594 Hay discloses a Tubular EL Lamp which includes strips within a glass tube and a glass fiber between the light emitting surface and the tube to gather light from the strip. Also, the tube is an optical element. Such an optical tube is not flexible, does not permit viewing of the light from 0-360 degree, is not available for bending into any shape, does not protect the EL strips, cannot generate linear light over a soft and curved surface, does not provide a colorful light arrangement, is not subject to bending and fixing of the shape, is not stitchable and cannot be glued on a main object surface, and cannot have unlimited length or by joined with other strips for a desired length with the same function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,629 Gubernick discloses a phosphorescent tube with which offers light beams in a dark environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,027 Lekson teaches a running board with illumination which includes an electroluminescent element within a transparent tube and one optical element position in front in the light emitting direction. This arrangement is essentially the same as that disclosed in the Hay patent. Lekson uses a small EL panel to get the light out to the viewer, who must have to have one optical member to focus the light and provide strength. Lekson does not provide for 0-360 light emission, a method to make a desired length, flexible and bendable features for tube light, a protect member inside and on the back of in a light emitting direction, use of the conductive means of the bus to build unlimited length, a method to overcome the minimum bending radius for EL strips, or stitching or gluing to a main object surface, The current invention use a low-cost panel type of electro-luminescent element sealed within the inside of the tube shape to provide a substantially lower cost, a simple production procedure, super brightness, and the ability to easily make the lighting element have any diameter.                1. The current invention provides a way to make any diameter of tubular EL light device by a simple process.        2. The current invention provides a way to prevent a sharp-angle while bending the plastic tube.        3. The current invention provides a colored plastic tube as a cosmetic purpose for a tubular EL light device.        4. The current invention teach a proper wall thickness for the plastic tube to overcome some bending problems.        5. The current invention provides a way to make an extended Electro-Luminescent panel having an unlimited length.        6. The current invention provides a way to make a multiple colors tubular light device for desired effects.        7. The current invention provides a way to make a tubular EL light device with optical features and properties.        8. The current invention provides a way to have a super brightness tubular EL light device.        9. The current invention provides a way to have a tubular EL light device with any desired bend and fixed shape.        10. The current invention provides a way to have a tubular EL light device with twisted panel(s).        11. The current invention provides a way to have a tubular EL light device that resembles a Neon light by placing panels back to back.        12. The current invention provides a way to have a tubular EL light device for any bending angle by twisted panel(s).        13. The current invention provides a way to have a flat tubular EL light with twisted panel(s) for a weaving effect.        14. The current invention provides a way to have a Magnetic Means incorporated with the tubular EL light device.        15. The current invention enables a tubular light device to be used in joint areas of main objects, such as a tool box or automobile/truck door.        16. The current invention provides a mixed color for twisted EL panels to improve the cosmetic appearance.        17. The current invention provides a variety of applications to different categories of illumination.        
The current invention improves upon the above listed US prior art because it is simple to make all kinds of tube shapes with a desired diameter. Also, The brightness can be designed for any brightness requirement without investment in machinery because the marketplace already has available machines that can provide tubes having a lower cost and the ability to quickly make big quantities and provide people with a good lighting device at lower cost and increased safety.
The current invention also offers a Bend-N-Shape features as described in a co-pending US patent application, which offers great performance as a working lamp to provide desired illumination for certain work environments. The current invention also offers a twisted EL panel(s) arrangement for consumer application to items such as a Shoe, Slide, Slipper, Sandal, Automobile, Boat, Bus, Aircraft, Garden, Traffic equipment, Bag, Purse, House, Building, Christmas, Seasonal Item, Bicycle, Tricycle, Toy, Moving Device, Skating or Jogging equipment, Watch, Garment, Clothing, Jeans, Box, Tool Box, Working Lamp, Furniture, Giftware, Headgear, Jewelry, Hair Accessories, Partywear, Sign, Indoor lighting, Outdoor lighting, Street lamp, Guide lamp, Bridge lamp, Traffic cone, New Jersey Deck, Fence, Mail Box, House Number light, Window Sign, Wall Sign, Poster, Passway, Stair, Curb, Line divider for queues, Evacuation light, Fishing Marker, Decoration device for Safety, Decoration, Advertisement, Promotion, Point-Of-Purchase display, Warning light, Accent light, illumination light, Floor light, Delineator guide light, and Evacuation light, which can be found from market place with other light means such as an L.E.D., incandescent light bulb, fluorescent tube, Neon tube etc. The current invention preferably can use an EL light with sufficient light brightness with very low power consumption, as described in the current Inventor's variety of U.S. issued patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,746,501, 5,980,060, 5,722,760, 5,504,397,5,475,574, 5,479,325, 5,570,946, 5,469,342, 5,570,945, 5,704,705, 5,611,621, 5,860,727, 5,865,523,5,879,069, 5,572,817, 5,752,337, 5,794,366, 5,833,508, 5,688,038, 5,871,269, 5,720,651, 5,806,960, 5,947,980, 5,775,016, 5,566,384, 5,876,108,5,836,671, 5,601,358, 5,754,064, 5,921,653, 5,667,394,6,082,867, 6,170,958, 6,183,101, 6,171,117, 5,926,440, 6,158,868, 6,182,282, 6,179,431, 5,599,088, 5,213,616, 6,179,431, 6,280,053, 6,170,958, 6,168,282, 5,926,440, 5,683,164, 6,183,101, 6,123,616, 6,280,053, 5,926,440, 5,754,064, 5,879,069 and other issued patents owned by the current inventor. The advantage of electro-luminescent lighting elements in a variety of contexts are explained in several co pending US patent application include U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/305,294; 08/343,404; 08/343,915; 08/383,404; 08/383,405; 08/409,925; 08/421,647; 08/432,707; 08/438,373; 08/444,064; 08/436,007; 08/444,064; 08/489,160; 08/498,258; 08/510,701; 08/522,940; 08/561,973; 08/611,049; 08/614,001; 08/522,940; 08/712,484; and 08/734,872, which cover more utilities for Electro-Luminescent elements. The light panels or elements listed above can be attached on any single radius surface without any problem. The current invention uses the “wider tube” space to install narrow EL panel(s), offering the extra space to allow panel(s) to be bent or twisted with any ugly shape that can not be seen by viewer. It also has several arrangements to make the tube look like a Neon tube or a pretty good cosmetic light arrangement. Other features resulting from use of a tube with panel(s) are that they can fit a Sphere-Surface which has more than one radius curvature and can fit pretty well without an ugly shape that would destroy the value of the light. Also, the method uses limited length EL panel(s) that can be connected to provide unlimited length panels as desired.